Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Magic Lantern, the advanced (and unofficial) HDSLR firmware developers, just keeps cranking out the good stuff for Canon HDSLRs. In this second Alpha update for Canon 5D Mark III, the new powerhouse camera gets even more power with a clean HDMI output and HDR video mode. Other additions include gradual exposure, focus assist tools, display tweaks and more.

Here’s a short sample of HDR video mode on the 5D Mark III:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjtGenTSfX8&w=640&h=360]

There are more details, along with download and installation instructions, available on the Magic Lantern website.

While HDR photography has its fans and foes, HDR video is likely to fuel the fire even further if the tech in the AMP video camera becomes widespread and affordable.

The AMP camera claims to offer up to 17 stops of dynamic range as the result of capturing simultaneous video on 3 separate senors – with each set to different exposure values. The Gen II AMP camera stores raw data to SSD hard drives and, based on the company’s FAQ, it looks like they are working on increasing the memory buffer for longer recording times.

Check out the demo video below that shows off some of the footage and explains some of how the camera works. [Read more…]

I am always inspired (and humbled) as a photographer as I cull through the Photography Bay Flickr Group each week. As I was checking out some of the additions to the group this week, something stood out a little more than usual.

That something was Flickr user andyathlon‘s additions to the Photography Bay Group Pool, which included the HDR time lapse videos below. [Read more…]

High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography has been quite controversial over the past few years. But, if you thought HDR photos had fans and foes, just wait until HDR video catches on.

The above clip from Soviet Montage is captured using 2 Canon 5D Mark II cameras shooting the same scene simultaneously with the aid of a beam splitter. One camera is recording at +2 EV and one camera is recording at -2 EV.

Regardless of how you feel about the HDR effect, you have to admit that these shots are interesting at least. You can also bet that a feature like this will be built-in to a camera within a couple of years or so.